A PRE-POST INTERVENTION STUDY: ASSESSING AWARENESS ABOUT TYPES, USES, AND EFFECTS OF SUPPLEMENTS AMONG YOUTH IN JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA

Background: A supplement is a commercially available product that is taken in addition to the regular diet and contains vitamins, minerals, herbs (botanicals), amino acids, and a variety of other ingredients. The demand for dietary and herbal supplements is increasing in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia's market is expanding in tandem with the country's rapid population growth, and the supplements market now accounts for approximately 4% of total pharmaceutical market sales. Objectives: To assess the awareness level about types, uses, and effects of supplements, to determine factors affecting awareness level, and measure the effectiveness of the health education campaign in raising awareness of youth about supplements, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-and post-study was carried out through an educational campaign. A multistage sampling technique was followed where stage one was a random selection of two gyms one for males and another for females, stage two was the inclusion of a convenient sample of 220 youth aged between 15-25 years. The campaign assessed the youth’s knowledge and attitude regarding supplements using a self-administered questionnaire pre- and post-campaign. Results: Among the studied population 188 (85.5%) had secondary education or more, 145 (65.9%) were single, 94 (42.7%) students and 114 (51.8%) were practicing moderate exercise. The mean time elapsed since attending the gym was 5.2 with SD (2.23) years, with mean practicing times per week of 3.1 with SD (2.4) times and mean duration in hours of 2.1 with SD (2.32) per time. There was a significant increase in the total knowledge score between pre- and post-assessment mean (SD) 63.6 (6.82) versus 82.2 (8.90) (p=0.002) and a significant decrease in the attitude of youth toward supplements between pre- and post-assessment. The significant predictors for awareness were age, nationality, education, and number of practicing exercises per week. 180 (82%) of the participants were satisfied with the health education campaign. Conclusion: The awareness, knowledge, and attitude of youth towards supplements significantly improved in the post-measurement of educational campaigns. Age, nationality, education, and the number of exercise sessions per week were significant predictors of supplement awareness. The immediate evaluation of the campaign was generally satisfactory.